Dual action ball switch



June 17, 1952 G. R. BENAK 2,600,832

DUAL ACTION BALL SWITCH Filed Oct. 16, 1947 Patented June 17, 1952 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DUAL ACTION BALL SVJI'ICH George R. Benak, Chicago, 111., assignor to Raymond T. Moloney, Chicago, Ill.

Application October 16, 1947, Serial No. 780,289

(ill. 200-1) 4 Claims.

This invention pertains to electric switches, particularly those adapted to use in ball rolling games and the like.

A principal object of the invention is the provision of a dual action roll-over switch for use in ball rolling games and acting to close a circuit when engaged in either of two directions, the circuits closed in either case being different so that two distinct scoring circuits may be set up.

Another object is the provision of a dual action switch of very simple construction and having an operating finger serving to close a different set of contacts when the finger is urged in opposite directions.

A further object is the provision of a switch for ball games so contrived that it may be operated by a ball passing in one direction relative thereto to close a first scoring circuit, and it may be operated by a ball passing in the opposite direction to close a different scoring circuit.

Additional objects and aspects of novelty and utility reside in details of the structure and function of the illustrative embodiment de= scribed hereinafter in view of the annexed drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective of the play field of a ball rolling game showing the novel switch;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through said play field showing the switch in elevation;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section through the switch along lines 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a circuit diagram illustrative of one use of the switch as a scoring control.

Fig. 1 shows part of a ball playing board It! on which are mounted ball objectives or targets such as the bumpers H and resilient re bound band l3, and the operating lever M of a roll-over switch [5.

Switches l5, operable by movement of a lever like [4 in only one direction. are well-known in the art as roll-over switches; they are generally mounted beneath the ball board or panel Ii) and may be used'in numbers in any one game.

The general direction of travel of a ball on board or field I is in the direction of the arrow A, although the ball may meander widely over the board depending on its initial velocity and how many targets, bumpers, or the like it strikes on the way.

In prior arrangements, a ball advancing in the direction of the arrow A and striking the switch lever I i, if the old style roll-over switch were used, would make a circuit for scoring purposes; but if that ball, or any ball, should rebound, say from the bumper band I3 and strike lever H in the direction opposite from. the arrow A, then such old style switch would not operate to close any circuit.

Referring to Fig. 2, the novel, dual action rollover switch is shown to comprise a metal bracket 20 on which is mounted a pile of insulating wafers 2|, as by screws 22 passing through insulating sleeves (not seen) and the wafers and threading into said bracket. Metal contact springs are disposed in insulated relation from each other between said wafers, generally speaking, and this much of the structure, that is to say, the bracket, the wafers, and leafspring contacts, is old in the art.

Of importance to the invention is the provision of an offset 23 on bracket 20 at an end thereof with opposite lugs 24 pierced to receive the pivoting section 25 (Fig. 3) of the wire operating lever MA; this section 25, after passing through the lugs, recurves in U-fashion to provide a contact-operating or engaging portion 26 extending substantially in parallelism with section 25, as in Fig. 3.

Of further importance to the invention is the arrangement of elongated, leaf-spring, contact fingers in pairs 21 and 28, at least, as shown in Figs. 2 and l, so that one contact spring of each said pair lies on a side of portion 26 of the operating lever opposite from the other, or in other words, operating extension 25 of the switch lever is flanked by one adjacent contact spring of each said pair in a position such that opposite pivotal movement of the lever, producing a like movement of section or portion 26, will flex one or the other of said flanking contacts in one or another direction, depending upon the direction of movement of said lever, so that one or the other of the pairs 21, 28 of contacts will be closed.

The aforesaid closure of different sets or pairs of contacts, depending upon the direction of pivotal movement of the operating lever, may be utilized in a variety of scoring or light-up circuits in amusement and like apparatus; a sche-= matic example is depicted in Fig. 4.

In Fig. 4, the dual switch is shown connected in a circuit to control an electromagnetic highscore unit of well-known structure in the art; as shown schematically for illustrative purposes, the score unit consists usually of a translucent disc 3!] on which are score numerals 3| of oertain opacity, and on one side of the disc is a projecting lens 32 in alignment with said numerals at one position. On the opposite side of the disc from lens 32 is a projecting lamp (not seen).

The score numerals are projected optically in enlarged scale on a viewing panel 33 in game cabinet 34, which usually also has other score an advance of the score-numeral disc from a score of 10,000 to one of 20,000, while. energization of the other solenoid 31 might. cause an.

advance from 10,000 to 50,000.

Referring still to Fig. 4, one terminal of each of the solenoids 36 and 37 is connected to a return or ground 45, while the remaining terminal of solenoid 36 connects via conductor 41 to one of the contacts of pair 28, and the remaining terminal of solenoid 31' connects via conductor 42 to one of the contacts of the other pair 2.1, with the remaining contact ofeach of said pairs 21 and 28 connecting by conductor 43 to ground or return lead 40A, a power source or battery 44 being in series with ground return lead 40, such that closure of either pair of contacts 21 or 28 will energize one or the other of the scoring solenoids 36 or 31 with the diiierent results heretofore noted.

Any other of a variety of electrical score control devices may be obviously substituted for the solenoids 36 and 31. For example, a high-score unit such as shown in U. S. Patent No. 2,410,708 to Breither et al., may be-used.

Reverse-action switches are known in the arts, including those utilizing leaf-spring or jackspring contacts, for example in connection with key or lever switches used in telephony; the present invention claimed for this disclosure pertains more particularly to the simplified construction including parts 23, 25, 26, and the arrangement of the latter with respect to oppositely flexing contact springs; and the combination of the dual action switch in a ball game for diii'erent scoring functions depending upon the direction of. approach and engagement of. the playing pieceor ball.

Having thus described and explained in detail the construction and use of my invention, im-- provement, and discovery so as to distinguish. it from other inventions, the parts, improvements, and combinations particularly claimed as my invention as required by R. S. 4888 are:

1. A ball switch for reverse action comprising a bracket, a pair of contact springs extending-in substantial parallelism on said bracket, an offset on said bracket near one of the ends of said pair of contact springs, an operating lever projecting approximately at right angles to the planes of said contact springs and having a U-shaped end oil-set at approximately right angles to itself with the opposite sections adjoining the bight of said U-shaped end lying in a plane approximately para-llelwith that of each of said contact springs and the adjoiningsaid section nearest the lever pivoted in said bracket offset, and the remaining said adjoining section disposed between said contact springs such that each of the latter will be flexed in a direction opposite or away from the other responsive to rocking of said lever in oppositedirections, and contact means cooperable with said pair of contact springs for connection in a control circuit.

2. A switch of the class described comprising an elongated operating lever having a U-shaped' portion offset at an end thereof and approximately at right angles thereto, a bracket having opposite lugs pierced to receive the side of the U nearest the shank of the lever, thereby mounting the lever for rocking motion with the. pposite side of the U moving in an are, a contact spring overlying each of the opposite sides of said opposite side of the U in the directions of arcuate movement thereof and each said spring adapted to be flexed in a corresponding one of said directionszwhen the. lever is rocked accordingly, and additional contact means electrically cooperable with each of, said contact springs, as a function of the aforesaid flexure thereof, for circuit control responsive to opposite rocking o! th lever.

3. In a ball switch or the class described, an elongated operating lever having a. right-angular offset atan end thereof, a bracketmounting said offset to support the lever for rocking motion. an additional offset from said firstementionedonset disposed to move arcuately responsive to rocking. of said lever, a pair of approximately. parallel contactsprings mounted on the bracket withsaid additional offset disposed therebetween such that opposite arcuate movements of said additional offset will flex one or the other of said springs away from the companion spring of said pair depending upon the direction in which said lever is rocked, and at. least one contactspring mounted on said bracket for electrical cooperation with. one of the contact springs of said pair as afunction of the aforesaid flexure thereof.

4. A double throw stack switch comprising a base bracket, a stack. switch mounted on said.

1 bracket. said switch including a pair of adjoining. intermediate contact blades and at least, one outer companion contact blade associated with each said intermediate blade, an endwise offseton said. bracket including opposite pierced lugs situated approximately opposite the free endsv of said intermediate blades, a stiff operator wire having a U-shaped end portion, one leg of which is. piv otally seated in the pierced parts of said lugs and another leg of. which is eccentric of the pivotal axis of the first leg, said'other leg. lying inbetween the free end regions of said intermediate blades, such that the latter may be flexed in opposite directions to. contact their companion. blades. by opposite pivoting movements of. said. operator wire, the latter having an ofiset end. portion constituting an engaging part for pivoting the operator as aforesaid.

GEORGE E. BENAK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the, file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 669,471 Yaxley et al Mar. 5, 1901 1,043,307 Eidam Nov. 5, 1912 1,066,432 Kettering July '1, 1913 1,115,720 Munsell Nov. 3, 1914 1,858,464 Schaumberger May 17, 1932 2,229,295 Koci Jan. 21, 1941 2,276,748 Thompson H- Mar. 17, 1942 2,294,603 Koci Sept. 1, 1942 2,310,163 Moxey Feb. 2, 1943 2,311,392 Heiss Feb. 16, 1943 2,318,761 Curtis May 11, 1943 2,330,771 Williams et a1 Sept. 28, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 335,723 Germany ml Apr. 8,1921 

